An Amsterdam judge has ruled that peep shows — where sex workers performing strip shows and explicit acts can be watched from booths — are a form of theater and club owners are therefore entitled to a hefty tax break.
“Admitting customers to peep shows is equivalent to admitting them to a theater performance,” an Amsterdam Appeals Court judge wrote in a ruling late last month that was publicized Tuesday. “The erotic character of the performance does not diminish that.”
The national daily De Telegraaf reported that owners of peep shows could receive thousands of dollars back as a result of the ruling.
“Working in a peep show is very labor intensive, so it’s great if you have to pay less tax,” Andre van Dorst, of an association of Dutch sex club owners, told De Telegraaf.